


Liftoff

by Leslie_Knope



Series: NurseyDex Week [2]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Meet-Cute, Writer Nursey, nhl dex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-04 00:43:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11543868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leslie_Knope/pseuds/Leslie_Knope
Summary: What exactly is the protocol when you find yourself seated on a plane next to your number-one celebrity crush, aka Bruins star defenseman Will Poindexter?Derek has no idea.





	Liftoff

**Author's Note:**

> For Day 3 of [NurseyDex Week](https://nurseydexweek.tumblr.com/), Alternate Universe!

Derek shoots a grin at the flight attendant and scoots past her into the aisle. Of all the material things that his success has brought, flying first class all the time is honestly one of the best, especially when he flies cross-country—he no longer gets off planes feeling like he’s crunched his spine and shrunk about three inches.

Derek lifts his bag into the overhead and tries to catch the gaze of the guy sitting in the window seat, seeking a quick moment of shared humanity with the stranger that he’s going to share this tin can with. The guy isn’t looking up, though, he’s got a plain black baseball cap pulled over his red hair, his nose buried in a book.

Derek sits down, catches an actual good view of the guy’s profile, and then bites down on his lip, _hard_ , to keep from making a sound. Holy fuck, it’s not a _stranger_ , it’s Will Poindexter, also known as the star defenseman for the Bruins and Derek’s favorite player.

He’s been Derek’s favorite ever since the Bruins drafted him, and his admiration was probably a 70/30 split between his hockey skill and his looks—all strong and tall and hot, ugh. Maybe 60/40.

But then, several months ago, Will came out—well, got _forcibly_ outed, anyway, after some skeevy blog published grainy, zoomed-in iPhone shots of him kissing some guy at a bar. It was in the middle of the season, no less, but Will played that very night, stepping out onto the ice with his head held high and rainbow tape wrapped around his stick, and Derek’s crush lifted to truly-embarrassing heights. He probably won’t survive this flight.

He fumbles through his bag for his phone and opens his text thread with Chowder, making sure that the screen is angled away from Will.

**Derek:** I AM ON A PLANE SITTING NEXT TO WILL POINDEXTER  *alarm emoji*  
  
**Derek:** Holy shit, what do I do????  
  
**Chowder:**!!!!!!  
  
**Chowder:** Tell him the truth! That you want to have red-haired, green-eyed, hockey-playing babies with him!!  
  
**Chowder:** Or...mile high club???  *winky face emoji*  
  
**Derek:** You are so unhelpful.  
  
**Derek:** There's no way that his shoulders will fit in that tiny bathroom.  
  
**Derek:** Not that I'm thinking about that  
  
**Chowder:** Seriously, you gotta go for it. Talk to him and ask him out or something. No one can resist you. Even I would probably have sex with you if you asked, and I'm like 90% straight.  
  
**Derek:** I'm telling Farms you said that.  
  
**Chowder:** Don't get her hopes up, she'd make popcorn and watch.  
  
**Derek:** He is even more attractive in person. This is terrifying.  
  
**Chowder:** And you are Derek Fucking Nurse. You're cuter than him, anyway.  
  
**Derek:** That is not true. But thanks for the vote of confidence, Chow.  
  
**Chowder:** Wait, you're not wearing his jersey, are you?  
  
**Derek:** No, THANK FUCK. I would've just jumped out of the plane in sheer embarrassment.  
  
**Chowder:** Hey, maybe he's into that. You don't know.  
  
**Derek:** Omg I cannot even think about that right now.

Derek exhales a careful breath and switches his phone into airplane mode before slipping it back into his bag. People are still boarding the plane, and Will miraculously doesn’t have headphones in yet. If Derek’s going to say anything, it needs to be now.

He swallows, gathering up his courage before he gestures awkwardly at the book in Will’s hands. “I’ve read that, it’s a good one.”

Will’s head snaps up, their eyes meet, and his gaze lingers on Derek’s face for an extra, very flattering, second. He blinks a few times, then looks back down at the book. “Uh, really? I’ve started it a couple times but can’t seem to get into it.”

“The first 50 pages are a little slow,” he admits. “It gets better, though. Not as good as her other book, in my opinion, but still really good.”

“Yeah? I haven’t read that one, I’ll have to put it on the list.”

“You read a lot?”

“I mean, I don’t know if I’d call myself a _voracious_ reader—”

“Ooh, SAT word, impressive,” Derek interrupts, and Will huffs a little, rolling his eyes. It’s adorable.

“But yeah, I read a lot. More than the average person, I guess.”

Oh my god, he _reads_? Derek’s gonna die.

“Cool,” he says lamely. “I like to read, too.”

 _I like to read, too_? Fuck, this is embarrassing.

But Will either doesn’t notice his staggering awkwardness or is just unfailingly polite because he holds his hand out. “I’m Will, by the way.”

“Derek.” Will’s hand is huge, and Derek forces himself to let go after what is probably one second too long. “Nice to meet you.”

“Are you, uh, headed home? Or going on vacation or…”

“I live here. Boston, that is,” Derek clarifies. “Just going to LA for work stuff.”

Will nods. “Me too.”

 _Work stuff_ in LA, hmm. Derek’s going to guess commercials or other promo stuff for one of Will’s sponsors. Not that he’s planning on asking.

The plane has finished boarding, without Derek really noticing, and when they push back from the gate, he jerks in surprise, looking around. Will must notice because he tilts his head. “What’s wrong?”

Derek hesitates. “It’s embarrassing.”

“Even better.” He smirks, and Derek laughs. “C’mon, tell me.”

“I fly _all_ the time, I swear, I’m not a nervous flyer. But I hate taking off.”

“That’s not that weird.” Will shifts in his seat. “If you need it, I’m really good at holding hands.”

Holy _shit_ , is that flirting? Is Will flirting with him? No. He’s just being nice. Relax, Derek.

“I barely know you, I’d feel bad about trying to break your hand.”

Will laughs. “Your call. I can handle it.”

The plane begins to pick up speed, and Derek sucks in a breath, closing his eyes. The sensation is weird, and even after dozens, probably hundreds of flights, he still hates it. He normally just squeezes his own leg or something, but when he peeks his eyes open, Will’s hand is just lying there on the arm rest, palm up. He grabs it on impulse, and Will’s fingers instantly tighten around his. Derek focuses on that instead, on how warm Will’s hand is and how strongly it’s holding on to him.

After a few minutes, once they’ve leveled off a bit, Derek exhales and opens his eyes.

“Sorry.” He releases his death grip on Will’s hand and tries to surreptitiously wipe his own hand on his pants. “It’s dumb, I know.”

Will shrugs. “Elevators freak me out.”

Derek can’t keep in a little bubble of laughter, and the little glare that Will shoots him is the cutest thing he’s ever seen. “Elevators? Really?”

“Just the super-high ones!” he protests. “They go really fast, it’s weird.”

“Well, I feel less bad now, so thanks.”

Will rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling. “Glad I could help.”

Will fiddles with the book in front of him but doesn’t open it, and Derek thinks wildly. He _really_ doesn’t want this conversation to be over. “Uh, you wanna watch a movie?”

Is he making it up, or does Will look relieved? He’s probably making it up.

“Sure. Any good options on there?”

“Uh…” Derek taps through the choices on the screen in front of him. “How about…Ghostbusters or Hidden Figures?”

“The new one or the original?”

Will leans over into his space to look at his screen, and Derek is _fine_. Man, he smells good. “The, uh, new one.”

“I haven’t seen that one yet. I’ve seen Hidden Figures but wouldn’t mind watching it again, I liked it.”

“Nah, Ghostbusters is good.”

“K, gimme a sec.”

Will bends over to rummage through his bag, and Derek lets his gaze wander freely where his shirt is stretched tight over his broad shoulders—because honestly, when else is he going to get the opportunity?

He averts his eyes just in time, and Will straightens up, headphones in hand. “Ready?”

They watch the movie together, whispering commentary back and forth, and Will is _funny_. Derek wishes that the giant armrest wasn’t between them, but alas.

They pause when lunch is served, and the quinoa and salmon is surprisingly palatable, especially when Derek exchanges his roll for Will’s fruit. It’s almost eerie, really, how well they get along—mild snarking included, of course—and Derek feels like he’s known Will for a lot longer than just a few hours.

They talk for a while, watch a few episodes of Veep, and before Derek knows it, the pilot is announcing their final descent into LA. Will fiddles with his bag and then scrubs his hands down the front of his pants a few times.

“I don’t know what you’re doing in LA, if you’ll have any free time or whatever, but—would you like to go out to dinner?”

Derek wishes this were some kind of TV show, where the action could freeze and he could dance in the airplane aisle like a maniac. He settles for a mental fist pump.

“Yeah.” He lets his smile stretch into a lazy smirk, and Will flushes. “That’d be awesome. Maybe tomorrow night?”

Will nods. “Okay. Okay, good.” His cheeks are still red, and Derek doesn’t even try to hold back his grin.

Almost as soon as they get off the plane, a teenager in a Bruins hat taps Will on the shoulder and sheepishly asks for a selfie. Will freezes, shooting Derek a quick, incomprehensible look before giving the kid a clearly-practiced smile and agreeing.

After the kid says thank you several times and wanders away, Will avoids Derek’s gaze and twists his hand restlessly around the handle of his bag. “So, uh—”

“I know who you are,” Derek blurts out. “I love hockey, you’re my favorite player. I just didn’t…uh, didn’t know how to bring that up before, not without being awkward.”

Will doesn’t say anything; he’s still just kinda staring at Derek and blinking, so Derek keeps rambling.

“And I totally understand if you don’t wanna, uh, do that date thing anymore. If that would be awkward or whatever. And now I’ve said _awkward_ too many times, so—”

“ _That date thing_?”

Will is smirking at him now, and Derek rolls his eyes. “Oh, shut up.”

“So we’ll just…” Will trails off and gestures vaguely. “Bypass that whole thing.”

“You being a famous hockey player?”

Will makes a face at him, and Derek laughs. “I am still in favor of that date thing,” Will says. “If you are.”

“Yeah,” Derek says quickly. “Yeah, definitely.”

Then he has to ruin the nice moment by tripping over a wayward suitcase, but he stays on his feet and Will grabs his arm, squeezing his bicep for an extra second before he lets go.

All the drivers are clustered together in the baggage claim area, and the guy with NURSE on his sign just happens to be standing next to the one with POINDEXTER.

“This is me.” He gestures awkwardly, and Will nods.

“Uh, your number?”

“Right!”

Derek taps it into Will’s phone, which Will then slides into his pocket with a satisfied little nod. “I’ll…I’ll text you, then.”

“Awesome.” Derek backs away, waves— _waves_ , ugh, that’s dorky—and collapses into the back of the town car with a satisfied sigh. He switches his phone off airplane mode, and several texts come through from Chowder.

**Chowder:** What’s happening?  
  
**Chowder:** I’m very invested in your love life.  
  
**Chowder:** Text me baaaaaack.  
  
**Chowder:** Ugh, did you not buy wifi on the plane? I’m dying of anticipation here  
  
**Derek:** I have a date tomorrow night  *sunglasses emoji*

Derek’s still stuck in traffic on the 405 when his phone buzzes again, and he grins embarrassingly wide when he sees that it’s a text from an unknown number with a 617 area code, which means that it’s probably Will.

**Will:** A Pulitzer finalist, are you fucking kidding me?  
  
**Will:** Oh my god, why did you let me talk to you about BOOKS?!  
  
**Derek:** Someone's been Googling.  
  
**Will:** And the National Book Award??  
  
**Derek:** I mean, it's not as cool as the Norris.  
  
**Will:** Disagree  *blushing emoji*

* * *

“Hey there.”

His words startle Will, exactly as Derek planned it, and he twists around and half-way stands from the table. “Hi.”

Derek drops into the chair across from him and spreads his napkin over his lap. “This is a nice place, good choice.” They’re seated at a secluded table on the outdoor patio, with ivy-covered brick walls and delicate lights strung through the trees. It’s fancy but not stuffy, and Derek appreciates it.

“I have a friend who lives out here, and I may have sent him a panicked text about where to go in LA if you needed to impress someone on a first date.”

“Consider me impressed.” Derek lets his gaze flick down Will’s body—he looks _very_ nice in a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and what appears to be a well-tailored pair of gray pants. His cheeks are practically _glowing_ red when Derek’s eyes make their way back up to his face, and yeah, this is fun.

“You look very nice.”

“Thank you,” Derek says. After they order drinks and their entrees, he leans forward. “I thought it was really cool what—well, how you dealt with what happened to you. I watched that game. I watch all the games,” he clarifies, and Will smiles down at his drink. “But that game—I shed a tear or two, not gonna lie.”

“I threw up like 10 minutes before that game, I was so nervous. Hadn’t done that since my rookie year. I just wanted to like, go hide out in the woods for a while.”

“Well, a lot of people are glad that you didn’t.”

Will snorts and spins his pint glass. “You wanna know the worst part?” Derek isn’t sure that he does, actually, but he nods anyway, and Will continues. “That whole thing was a set up. A few people knew, obviously, about me, and that guy was a friend of a friend of a friend, or something. And he and his buddy, the guy who took the pictures, saw a way to make some easy cash.”

Derek’s stomach clenches as he sucks in a breath. “That—that is _so_ awful, oh my god.”

Will shrugs. “I mean…yeah, it sucks, for sure. It’s shitty that it happened that way, but I would’ve come out sometime, probably. And I get paid an obscene amount of money to play a _game_ , basically, so I feel like can’t really complain.”

“That’s fair,” Derek supposes. “So…what are you doing here in LA?”

Weirdly, Will blushes and takes a long sip of his beer. “Just business stuff. Sponsors, things like that.”

“Uh-huh.” Derek doesn’t quite believe that’s the whole story. “So why do you look like a tomato right now?”

Will makes a face at him and then sighs. “You promise you won’t tell? It’s kind of a secret.”

Well, now Derek is _wildly_ curious. “Yeah, of course.”

“Today was, uh, I was doing a shoot for the ESPN body issue.”

Derek’s jaw drops, and it takes an extra second for his brain to reboot. “That’s—okay, I, for one, cannot wait for that.”

Will is flushed red up to his hairline as he groans into his hands. “Oh my god.”

“How was it?”

“Cold as fuck,” he retorts, and Derek laughs.

“So you were on the ice?”

Will nods. “I was like, ‘maybe we could do this somewhere warm!’ and they were like, ‘shut up and take off your clothes.’”

Derek laughs again, unable to hold it in, and Will shakes his head at him.

“It would be really weird to skate naked,” he muses.

“I’ll spare you the curiosity, it really is.” He grimaces and shudders a little. “Did you ever play?”

“Yeah, in college. Samwell.”

Will’s eyebrows lift, and he looks impressed. “Wow. They’ve turned out several pro players, right?”

Derek nods. “Yeah. Chris Chow is my best friend.”

“Sharks, right? He’s pretty good.”

“He’s the best,” he corrects, and Will laughs. Their food comes, and they both lean back to make way for the plates.

“I would ask what you’re doing in LA,” Will says, “but I stumbled across it when I Googled you. You’re doing a reading tomorrow night, right?”

“That I am.”

Will shakes his head. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me that you’re like, an insanely successful writer.”

“You didn’t tell _me_ that you were a famous hockey player.”

“Touché,” he says, after a pause, and Derek laughs.

They stretch dinner out, electing to share a dessert and then get coffee, but eventually, they’re pretty much out of things to order. Derek knocks his foot against Will’s and stands. “Bathroom.”

Only a minute after he sits back down, their waiter comes up to him and hands him the check. “Thank you, Mr. Nurse. You two have a nice evening.”

Will’s mouth drops open as Derek slides his credit card back into his wallet. “Oh, you fucker, you did that when you went to the bathroom, didn’t you?”

“Mhmm.”

“Very smooth,” he admits, somewhat grudgingly.

“Why, thank you.” Derek signs his name on the slip with a flourish and tucks the pen back into the little book. “You wouldn’t have let me pay otherwise, would you?”

“Probably not. I was the one who asked you out, after all.”

“Only because you beat me to it. So that’s a technicality.”

Will flushes again, and it’s definitely problematic how much Derek already likes that. “Really?”

“Uh, yeah. I was just nervous about coming across as some crazy fan. Not that I…I mean, I _was_ a fan of yours, but that’s really not—shit. Sorry. I’m totally fucking this up.”

Will laughs. “Nah. Good to know that you’re not smooth all the time.”

“Basically never, honestly.” Derek drains his water glass then stands, and Will mirrors him. “Don’t wanna, uh, get your hopes up or anything.”

“In no way do my hopes hinge on you being smooth,” he says, and Derek smiles.

They’re in front of the restaurant now, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, and okay, _this_ is the awkward part. Derek takes a breath. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not ready for this to be over. You wanna find a bar? Or—or somebody’s hotel to get a drink or watch a movie or something?”

Their eyes lock, and Derek is pretty sure he knows which option Will is going to choose.

“Yeah,” Will says slowly, blowing out a breath. “I pick hotel.”

“How far is yours?”

Will swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and his tongue darts out to swipe at his lower lip. “Like, uh, 10 minutes from here.”

“Mine’s 15, you win.”

Will laughs and slides his hand into his pocket for his phone. “I’ll get a car.”

The ride is interminable, and Derek doesn’t even register what chain of hotel it is as they hurry through the lobby. “Do you need me to hold your hand in the elevator?” he whispers, and Will shoves him. He’s smiling, though, and he takes Derek’s hand anyway.

“My room’s only on the _ninth_ floor, I can handle it.”

They hold hands all the way up to Will’s room, even though that means it takes longer for Will to fumble with his wallet and the key card. As soon as the door clicks open and they step over the threshold, Will uses his grip on Derek’s hand to gently nudge him up against the wall.

So that’s how this is going, apparently, and Derek is 1000 percent okay with that.

“Can I kiss you?”

Derek is so busy studying Will’s face, the freckles on his cheeks and amber color of his eyes, that it takes him an extra second to realize that he actually said something. The words register, and his eyes widen.

“Fuck, c’mere.” He curls his free hand around the back of Will’s neck, and he comes willingly, catching himself with one arm on the wall next to Derek’s hand before he presses their lips together.

Derek sucks in a breath, he can’t help it, and freezes—the kiss is so soft and so gentle that he’s afraid to move. After a minute, Will pulls back just an inch, close enough that they’re sharing the same air. Derek breathes for a second, squeezing Will’s hand, and then he pounces.

Will stumbles backward when Derek slams into him, but he gets one arm around Derek’s waist and stays upright, pressing back hard against his lips. The kiss is fierce and sloppy, full of heat, and Derek’s head is _spinning_ with everything he wants to do with this man.

One step at a time. Bed first, right.

He guides them blindly in that direction, and Will steps backward without breaking the kiss. Derek finally drops Will’s hand and worms both hands in between their bodies to fumble with his buttons.

As soon as his shirt’s undone, he shoves at Will’s chest until he falls to sit at the edge of the bed. “Fuck, look at you.”

Will’s flushed all over, red on his cheeks and fading to a splotchier pink down on his chest. He’s leaning back on his hands, panting a little with his shirt spread open, and honestly, Derek could just jerk off to this sight right now.

“Let’s look at _you_ instead,” he says, reaching for Derek’s belt, and Derek laughs. His hands are shaking a little, but he manages to shed his shirt and his pants before climbing on top of Will and pressing him back flat against the bed.

“Why are your pants still on,” he grumbles, and Will groans into his mouth, kissing him messily as he reaches down. Finally they’re gone, and Derek falls onto his side and hooks his leg over Will’s thigh. Their hips are pressed together now, and his breath hitches.

“Jesus fuck,” Will breathes, grinding against him, and Derek murmurs in agreement, not willing to break away from kissing him long enough to make actual words. “I don’t, uh, have stuff.”

He looks a little embarrassed, but Derek draws him into another kiss to distract him. “I don’t care.”

Will chokes out a laugh and uses his bulk to tip them over. Derek arches up against him helplessly, already close to the edge. God, he’s so far gone on this guy, this is ridiculous.

Will sits up on his knees, sliding his underwear down and off, and Derek just stares. “What do you want?” He draws a hand down Derek’s abs, skating lazily around the edge of his briefs.

“Oh, fuck, anything,” he says, but he grabs Will’s hand and licks it, which is probably enough of a sign.

Will yanks at his briefs, and Derek wiggles until he can toss them off his foot onto the floor. Will’s gaze is heavy, almost worshipful, and Derek shifts his hips restlessly under the weight of it.

“C’mon, will you just—”

“Just what?”

Will’s grinning, and it’s a good look on him. Derek huffs and tugs him down by the shoulders, until he’s braced on one elbow and they’re pressed together everywhere else. Will licks his hand again and wraps it around both of them, making Derek suck in a breath.

“ _Shit_.”

Will swallows audibly and nods. He ducks down to press their lips together at the same time as he starts to move his hand, and Derek exhales noisily into the kiss. He rolls them onto their sides, just to make it easier, and squirms as close to Will as possible.

Will’s hand is big and broad and warm, and even though he’s stroking pretty slowly, this isn’t going to last nearly long enough for Derek’s tastes. He turns the kiss into something more languid, and the warmth is spreading through Derek’s body, as deep and slow as the kiss.

Will comes first, shuddering in Derek’s arms, and the little punched-out noises that he’s making are enough to send Derek over the edge. He adds to the mess on their stomachs and Will’s hand and heaves for breath, his mouth open on Will’s shoulder. “Fuck.”

“Yeah.” Will’s voice is sated and lazy, and his forehead stays pressed to the curve of Derek’s neck while they slowly come down. “You should, uh, stay. If you want.”

“I definitely want,” he says, probably too quick, but Will just hums against his skin and tightens his grip.

* * *

Derek wakes up annoyingly early—fucking time zones—but thankfully he can reach his phone on the nightstand and sit up a bit without dislodging Will. They’re both cuddlers, it turns out, and Derek fucking loves it.

After an hour or so, Will has migrated into his lap, with his arms mostly wrapped around Derek’s waist. Derek’s thigh is slowly falling asleep under 200-plus pounds of hockey player, but he can ignore it for now.

Will stirs, snuffling a little as he shifts, and Derek drops a hand into his messy hair. “Morning.”

He murmurs something that sounds vaguely like _good morning_ and pushes his head up into Derek’s hand. “What’re you doing?”

Turns out that Will’s voice is _delightful_ in the morning, raspy and hoarse, and it takes Derek an extra second to realize that that was a question.

“Reading.” He waves his phone in the air, and Will stares at it for a second, blinking blearily, before he closes his eyes again and buries his face against Derek’s hip.

“I would’ve pegged you as one of those people who would rant about how much better it is to actually hold a book,” he mumbles, and Derek laughs.

“Oh, I totally am, and I will give you that lecture anytime you want. But the best book is the one that’s with you, you know?”

Will makes a noncommittal noise and noses along the edge of Derek’s briefs. “I bet I can distract you from your book.”

“What book?” He tosses his phone clear to the other side of the bed, and Will laughs.

He inches Derek’s briefs down with his _teeth_ , Jesus Christ, and sucks him off, careful and torturously slow. Derek is wrecked after, sweaty and panting, and it takes him a solid five minutes of recovery before he can spread Will out on the sheets and return the favor.

They both check their phones, and all of a sudden, Will flips over onto his stomach and groans into the pillow.

“Please tell me what inspired _that_ noise.”

“They sent me some of the preliminary shots from yesterday. This is so embarrassing.”

Derek’s eyes widen. “I will do literally anything if you let me see them.”

“Anything?” Will mumbles, and Derek swats him on the ass.

“Shut up and give me your phone.”

Will fumbles for it and tosses it to Derek before seeking refuge under his pillow again.

There are only five photos attached to the email, but each one is more devastating than the last and it’s really unfortunate that Derek just had an orgasm like 15 minutes ago. “Wow. Just—holy shit, these are amazing. You’re so hot.”

Will finally moves the pillow, and he is, unsurprisingly, red. “Okay, please stop.”

“Oh, no, I’m gonna keep talking about this. This is awesome.”

“It’s just…it’s just weird! They only picked me because of the gay thing. And now everyone’s going to see me practically naked.”

“You mean everyone _gets_ to see you naked. Hell, I’m a little jealous. It’s been, like, 12 hours and I’d already gotten used to that as my exclusive privilege.”

Will twists to face him and narrows his eyes. “That was a lie. You aren’t jealous, are you?”

“No, not at all,” he says easily, flicking through the pictures again. “I’d put you on a fucking billboard.”

Will laughs. “I would actually die.”

“I’m forwarding these to myself, just FYI.” Will groans, but he’s smiling. Derek tosses the phone aside and turns on his side to face Will, whose face has settled into something serious. “What’s up?”

“You…you said exclusive. Is that, uh, what you want?”

“I mean—I’m in favor of an all-cards-on-the-table kind of discussion. And I would like to keep seeing you, for sure. As often as you’ll let me. What about you?”

Will shrugs, looking embarrassed. “I—definitely yes, for me. I just didn’t know if it was like…a bucket list thing or whatever. For you.”

Derek ducks in to press their lips together firmly. “No. Definitely not. I’m gonna take a shower.” He presses a line of kisses down Will’s thigh as he crawls out of bed. “You should join me.”

Will still looks sated and tired, and the sight makes Derek proud. He lifts a hand in a semblance of a gesture. “I will. In a minute.”

Derek winks at him and swipes his phone off the end of the bed. While he waits for the water to get hot, he texts Chowder.

**Derek:** Chow, I think I’m in love. He correctly punctuates his texts. Spells the words out and everything.  
  
**Chowder:** You have weird standards.  
  
**Derek:** Oh, and also because he is very good at the sex. That, too.  
  
**Chowder:** Nurseyyyy. Deets!  
  
**Chowder:** Wait, do I want deets? I dunno.  
  
**Derek:** *eggplant emoji* *flame emoji* *100 emoji*  
  
**Chowder:** I can’t wait to play them next year, I’m gonna give him the “be good to him or I’ll kill you” speech.  
  
**Derek:** Dude, he's definitely bigger than you.  
  
**Chowder:** Yeah but no one fucks with goalies.

* * *

**Bitty:** Will! How's LA?  *palm tree emoji*  
  
**Will:** I…might have met someone. On the plane. And then asked him out.  
  
**Bitty:** Oh my god WILL! Tell me more  *heart-eyes emoji* *clapping emoji*  
  
**Will:** Bits, he is so goddamn pretty that it makes me ANGRY. How is that even possible.  
  
**Will:** And smart and funny, ugh. My crush is ridiculous.  
  
**Bitty:** What’s his name? I gotta Google.  
  
**Will:** Derek Nurse  
  
**Bitty:** Omg he is so beautiful. And a famous writer???  
  
**Bitty:** Please tell me you did more than just have dinner with him.  
  
**Will:**...  
  
**Will:** He's in the shower right now.  
  
**Bitty:** *falls over dead*  
  
**Bitty:** I am so proud. Was it good?? It was good, wasn’t it.  
  
**Will:** I'm not answering that.  
  
**Will:** (But yes.)  
  
**Bitty:** So is it like a one time thing?  
  
**Will:** God, I hope not. He does live in Boston, but he is so far out of my league it isn’t even funny.  
  
**Bitty:** Hey now Mr. Poindexter, you’re a catch, too.  
  
**Bitty:** And why the fuck are you still texting me? Go get in the shower with your hot man.  
  
**Will:** *okay emoji*

**Author's Note:**

> [leslieknopeismyshiningstar](http://leslieknopeismyshiningstar.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr


End file.
